TEACHING
QUALITY
King's College London
29
th
NATIONAL
RANK
RANK
81.1%
FIRSTS
2:1s
2:1s
92.5%
COMPLETION
RATE
RATE
Key Stats
n/a
106th
STUDENT
EXPERIENCE
EXPERIENCE
23rd=
RESEARCH
QUALITY
QUALITY
12th
GRADUATE
PROSPECTS
PROSPECTS
Contact details
ADDRESS
Strand, London, WC2R 2LS View on map >
Telephone
Email
Website
Open days
contact the university
University Profile
King’s is one of a select few universities to presently rank in higher in world university league tables than in domestic ones. Placed 16 in the new QS world rankings, it ranks only 29 in our league table this year.
The disparity arises from world rankings that take account of reputation among fellow academics and employers, together with number of research citations, and domestic rankings which have a significant input from student satisfaction. For this, King’s ranks 106 out of 123 institutions in our league table this year. Edinburgh and Manchester, in particular, suffer similarly and accordingly all three dwell far more on their international rankings on their websites.
King’s has won domestic awards in recent times, however. It was The Sunday Times University of the Year for Graduate Employment as recently as 2012-13 and won our overall University of the Year title two years before in 2010; the former award in particular an acknowledgement of the high regard in which King’s graduates are held by employers (and the high starting salaries they continue to command - £24,247 for the 2013 leavers).
So, despite the
With applications also up by 7% in 2013, there is scope to continue, although there are hotly-contested plans to cut the staff by up to 120 academics, mainly in the large schools of medicine and biosciences.
King’s was once known primarily for science, but now has a distinguished reputation across nine schools including humanities, law and social sciences, which includes War Studies.
One of the oldest and largest of the University of London’s colleges, King’s has played a part in many of the advances that shape modern life, including the discovery of DNA and the development of radar. Eight alumni or academics won Nobel Prizes in the 20th century, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu for his work to end apartheid and Rosalind Franklin for her contribution to identifying the structure of DNA.
A £500m fundraising campaign is focused on some of today’s most pressing challenges in five priority areas, including neuroscience and mental health, cancer and global power.
In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, 60% cent of the college’s submission was judged to be world-leading or internationally excellent. It is Europe’s largest centre for the education of doctors, dentists and other healthcare professionals, and home to six Medical Research Council Centres. King’s Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre represents a pioneering collaboration between the college and three NHS foundation trusts.
King’s describes itself as “the most central university in London” because four of its five campuses are within a single square mile around the banks of the Thames. The fifth is not far away at Denmark Hill in south London.
The original Strand site and the Waterloo campus, which includes the largest university building in London, house most of the non-medical departments. Nursing and midwifery and some biomedical subjects are also based at Waterloo, while medicine and dentistry are mainly at Guy’s Hospital, near London Bridge, and in the St Thomas’ Hospital campus, across the river from the Houses of Parliament.
The Denmark Hill campus houses the Institute of Psychiatry, as well as more medicine and dentistry. The Maurice Wohl Institute, which is due to open by the end of the year, is set to be one of Europe’s leading centres of interdisciplinary neuroscience research.
Libraries on all the main campuses have been upgraded recently – part of a £60m programme of improvements to student facilities. Further investment of £140m is planned over the next few years.
The expansion of the Strand Campus into the East Wing of Somerset House in 2012 provided impressive new premises for the 175-year-old School of Law. A £12m science gallery will open on the Guy’s campus next year, focused on 15-25 year-olds.
About one student in five is from outside the European Union, many of them among the 8,600 postgraduates. An institutional audit by the Quality Assurance Agency gave King’s the highest mark, stressing the excellence of the student support services.
The college’s location means King’s students are in an enviable position for accessing opportunities for work experience. A new Internships Office is working with King’s Careers Service to support development in this area and keep graduate prospects among the very best in Britain.
Almost three undergraduates in ten come from independent schools, in spite of the college’s efforts to widen its intake. King’s has launched a new Enhanced Support Dentistry Programme to attract talented school-leavers from lower performing schools, along the lines of its celebrated Access to Medicine course.
The active students’ union, which runs bars, cafes and a nightclub, puts on an extensive programme of events. The college is well provided with accommodation in a variety of residences, in busy central locations as well as in quieter, residential areas. There are privately-operated residences and others run by the University of London, as well as more than 2,500 places in university-owned provision.
The disparity arises from world rankings that take account of reputation among fellow academics and employers, together with number of research citations, and domestic rankings which have a significant input from student satisfaction. For this, King’s ranks 106 out of 123 institutions in our league table this year. Edinburgh and Manchester, in particular, suffer similarly and accordingly all three dwell far more on their international rankings on their websites.
King’s has won domestic awards in recent times, however. It was The Sunday Times University of the Year for Graduate Employment as recently as 2012-13 and won our overall University of the Year title two years before in 2010; the former award in particular an acknowledgement of the high regard in which King’s graduates are held by employers (and the high starting salaries they continue to command - £24,247 for the 2013 leavers).
So, despite the
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iffy student satisfaction scores, students continue to apply here in their droves, both domestically and internationally and the university has capitalised on that with the relaxation of recruitment restrictions by the Government. Its intake has grown by 13% – more than 500 students – in two years.With applications also up by 7% in 2013, there is scope to continue, although there are hotly-contested plans to cut the staff by up to 120 academics, mainly in the large schools of medicine and biosciences.
King’s was once known primarily for science, but now has a distinguished reputation across nine schools including humanities, law and social sciences, which includes War Studies.
A £500m fundraising campaign is focused on some of today’s most pressing challenges in five priority areas, including neuroscience and mental health, cancer and global power.
In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, 60% cent of the college’s submission was judged to be world-leading or internationally excellent. It is Europe’s largest centre for the education of doctors, dentists and other healthcare professionals, and home to six Medical Research Council Centres. King’s Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre represents a pioneering collaboration between the college and three NHS foundation trusts.
King’s describes itself as “the most central university in London” because four of its five campuses are within a single square mile around the banks of the Thames. The fifth is not far away at Denmark Hill in south London.
The original Strand site and the Waterloo campus, which includes the largest university building in London, house most of the non-medical departments. Nursing and midwifery and some biomedical subjects are also based at Waterloo, while medicine and dentistry are mainly at Guy’s Hospital, near London Bridge, and in the St Thomas’ Hospital campus, across the river from the Houses of Parliament.
The Denmark Hill campus houses the Institute of Psychiatry, as well as more medicine and dentistry. The Maurice Wohl Institute, which is due to open by the end of the year, is set to be one of Europe’s leading centres of interdisciplinary neuroscience research.
Libraries on all the main campuses have been upgraded recently – part of a £60m programme of improvements to student facilities. Further investment of £140m is planned over the next few years.
The expansion of the Strand Campus into the East Wing of Somerset House in 2012 provided impressive new premises for the 175-year-old School of Law. A £12m science gallery will open on the Guy’s campus next year, focused on 15-25 year-olds.
About one student in five is from outside the European Union, many of them among the 8,600 postgraduates. An institutional audit by the Quality Assurance Agency gave King’s the highest mark, stressing the excellence of the student support services.
The college’s location means King’s students are in an enviable position for accessing opportunities for work experience. A new Internships Office is working with King’s Careers Service to support development in this area and keep graduate prospects among the very best in Britain.
Almost three undergraduates in ten come from independent schools, in spite of the college’s efforts to widen its intake. King’s has launched a new Enhanced Support Dentistry Programme to attract talented school-leavers from lower performing schools, along the lines of its celebrated Access to Medicine course.
The active students’ union, which runs bars, cafes and a nightclub, puts on an extensive programme of events. The college is well provided with accommodation in a variety of residences, in busy central locations as well as in quieter, residential areas. There are privately-operated residences and others run by the University of London, as well as more than 2,500 places in university-owned provision.
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Detailed Statistics
PERFORMANCE
PERFORMANCE
CATEGORY
SCORE
RANK
Ranking
-
29 (27)
Student experience
78.7
106th
Research quality
23.3
23rd=
Ucas entry points
470
13th=
Graduate prospects
80.1
12th
Firsts and 2:1s
81.1
11th=
Completion rate
92.5
23rd=
Student-staff ratio
11.4:1
5th
Services/facilities spend (£)
2,090
23rd
World ranking
-
16 (19=)
VITAL STATISTICS
Undergraduates
(Full-time)
13,005
Undergraduates
(Part-time)
3,535
Postgraduates
(Full-time)
6,490
Postgraduates
(Part-time)
4,260
Applications/places
36,060/4,435
Applications/places ratio
8.1:1
STUDENT CITIES
Sebastiaan Debrouwere, students’ union president
A university where you feel the buzz of London while immersing yourself in cutting-edge research.
In such a huge and fast-paced city, you have to grow up much faster.
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Cost of living
Nightlife
Transport
Culture
ACCOMMODATION
Places in accommodation
4,521
Accommodation costs
£119-£230
Catered costs
£137-£453
Accommodation contact
FEES
UK/EU fees
£9,000
Fees (overseas year)
£1,350
Fees (international)
£15,200-£19,570
Fees (international, medical)
£35,050
Finance website
Graduate salaries
£24,247
BURSARIES/SCHOLARSHIPS
>
King's Living Bursary of £1,500 (household income below £25K) or £1,000 (£25K–£42.6K), payable for all years.
>
Bursaries and merit scholarships, including 50 Access to Professions scholarships of £3,000 for years 1–3 for certain courses in medicine and dentistry; Dickson Poon law scholarships: 25 of £9,000 a year and 50 of £6,000 a year.
SPORT
Sports points/rank
807.5, 39th
Sport website
Student satisfaction
90.3%
88.3%
85.6%
85.3%
84.8%
83.0%
82.6%
82.4%
82.1%
82.1%
81.4%
80.0%
79.9%
79.4%
76.4%
76.3%
73.6%
72.4%
71.9%
63.2%